Word Roots: C

car: wagon, cart

carrier, carpool, carjacking, carriage, cargo, caricature

cav: 

cave, concave, cavity, cavernous, excavate

circum-: around, about

• circumscribe = around + write / draw a line
• circumstantial: prove sth indirectly 
• circumvent,  circumspect, circumlocution, 

circ: ring

• circular, circle, circulate, circuitous, circuit, circuitry,
• circularity (circularism)

cycl: circle, wheel

cyclone, Cyclops, encyclopedia

croc: hook

• encroach, crotchety (irritable)

corn: corner

cornerstone, cornucopia, catercorner, cornea, Capricorn

clav:

• clef, clavier, clavichord,
• clavicle (collarbone);
• enclave, conclave

clin: inclination

cliv: proclivity

clud: include, seclude, occlude, reclude

clus: seclusion, recluse, cloister, 

cult: culture, cultivate, horticulture

cru = cross

suicide, parricide, regicide, mariticide, uxoricide, fratricide，sororicide,

avicide, pesticide, fungicide, germicide, herbicide, insecticide,  vermicide,  rodenticide

cis: cut

concise, incise (cut with S), excise, precise,  exorcist, decide, scissors

cid: fall， 残缺 accident 

• recidivism, Occident, 

cit: incite (cut with T), resuscitate (rescue, revive)

cas/cad: fall, 残缺

• decay,
• cadence,
• decadent (corrupt), decadence,
• cascade,
• cadaver (corpse), cadaverous
• casual, case, occasion

cal: 

• calligraphy, calisthenics
• nonchalant, calorie, caloric,
• scald (burn) （钻木取火）, chafe,
• chauffeur,
• cauldron, chowder

cap: 

capable, incapacitate, capacity = take (容量)， capacious, capsule, encapsulate

ceiv

receive = back + take = 收到

deceive = de + ceive = off, from + take

deceive: (of a person) cause (someone) to believe something that is not true, typically in order to gain some personal advantage.

deceive: (of a thing) give a mistaken impression.

deceive: fail to admit to oneself that something is true.

Deceive: be sexually unfaithful to (one’s regular partner).

conceive = for a woman to get preganent, she needs a man. For a person to come up with an idea, he must have incorporated others’ ideas. = to form a concept or image or idea.

perceive, undeceive, misconceive, conceivable, preconceive, inconceivable

preconceived: (of an idea or opinion) formed before having the evidence for its truth or usefulness. 先入为主

incipient = in + cip = begin to happen

anticipate = ante /anti + cip = before + take = 预期

emancipate (set free) = e (out) + man (hand) + cip (seize) + ate

participate, participle, principal, participatory, municipal, disciple, discipline, disciplinarian, recipe, recipient

chas: purchase, chase

cup: occupy, recuperate (recover, convalesce, regain one’s strength)

coc: cook, ripen

concoct, decoct, precocious, 

crat: rule

• aristocrat, autocrat, technocrat, bureaucrat, plutocrat

cogn / conn: learn, know

• cognoscenti, cognoscente (expert), incognito, cognizant, 
• connoisseur (pundit, gourmet, epicure, gastronome), connoisseurship
• reconnoiter, reconnaissance (military survey), 

commod: commodity

• commode, commodious (capacious, roomy), incommodious
• accommodation, accommodate, unaccommodating

cumb: 

cumber, encumber, incumber (constrain), incumbent, recumbent, succumb, 

cond: put

• ensconce (settle, curl up)
• condiment, 
• recondite (cryptic, obscure, complex),
• abscond (escape, decamp),

cover: curfew (cover fire), covert, covertly 

crypt (script – code): cryptogram, cryptography, encrypt, apocryphal (fictitious), grotesque facial distortions

ciph: cipher (code), decipher, encipher, decipherable, indecipherable

coup: recoup, countercoup, coupon

culp: culprit culpable (censurable), exculpate, inculpable

• capture, captor, captivity, captivate, captivating,
• recuperate = recover or regain
  captious = of a person tending to find faults or petty objections

accept = to + be taken = 接受

concept = con + cept = something that is taken by people together

precept = pre + cept = before + taken = a general rule

susceptible, exception, exceptional, conceptualize, inception

contraception = contra + cept

intercept = inter + cept = between + taken = 抄截 （在中间拿取）；

incept = in + take = obtain a degree from a university

cand: candle (钻木取火）, candid, candor, 

• incendiary (combustible), candelabrum, incandescent, 
• candidate, candidacy, candidature

cant, cent: sing

• cant, recant, incantation 
• accent, accentuate, incentive

cast: 

castigate, chastise, chaste, chasten (deflate), 

cit: open mouth, moved, stirred up;

cite (quote), incite, recite, recital, excite, solicit, resuscitate

clam: shout

clamor (din, commotion, babel), claim, acclaim, disclaim (deny), declaim, exclaim, declamation, reclaim, proclaim, exclamation

clar, clair

declare, clarify, clarinet, clarion, clairvoyant

cus: 

accuse, cause, excuse, recuse, recusant

cuss: repeatedly strike

discuss, concuss, percussion, repercussion

com: 

• comic, comical, comedy, comedian, comedienne, encomium, comedic
• sitcom, tragiccomedy

commun: communicate; community

• commune, communal, communion

concil: 

• conciliate, reconcile

cry: decry (denounce, carp at, condemn, censure), outcry

cyn: cynic, cynical, cynicism, cynosure

crit: judge

critic, criticize, critique, diacritic, hypocritical

crimin: judgment

criminal, incriminate (accuse), recriminate, discriminate

• concern, unconcerned
• discern = dis + cern = sift apart: notice, detect, or understand something after thinking about it carefully or studying it for some time. 
• discernible, discernment, indiscernible

cret: sift, discern, separate

• indiscreet: lack of judgment, especially someone say or do things in public that should only be said or done privately – if at all.
• indiscretion
• discretion: freedom to act or judge on one’s own
• discretionary
• secret
• secretive
• secretion: the organic process of synthesizing and releasing some substance
• secretary
• excrete: eliminate from the body
• excrement: things that the body discharges
• excretion: action that the body processes the waste

cred: credit

• credo, credulity, credulous (gullible, naive), credence, credentials, 
• accredit, discredit

cret: grow

• concrete: cover with cement
• concretion
• concretize
• accretion
• accrete

cresc

crescent, accrue, crescendo, decrescendo, excrescence (tumor, lump, protuberance)

• decrepit = de + crep + it  = not + take (feeble, doddering, tottering, debilitated, incapacitated)
• decrepitude
• discrepant = dis + crep + ant = away / different + take 
• discrepancy

caustic, causterize, holocaust

• cure
• curate: a person authorized to conduct religious worship
• curator: the custodian of a collection (as a museum or library)
• curative
• curio: a rare, unusual, intriguing object
• curious
• accuracy, inaccuracy
• secure, security, insecure, insecurity
• sinecure: a paid job that provides a regular income but does not involve much work or responsibility
  • Similar: easy job, soft option, cushy number, money for old rope, money for jam, picnic, doddle, walk in the park, cinch, gravy train, bludge
• procure = pro + cur = before + attention = obtain sth with effort
• pedicure
• manicure

access, accession (~ to the throne), make concession to, secede (withdraw from), accede, recede, cede (concede, surrender), intercede. 

curs: cursory

precursor, excursion, cursive, discursive (meandering, circumlocutory), excursive (digressive), cursor, incursion (invasion). 

capit, chiev: head

• chapter
• capital: first-rate, most important or serious
• capitalism
• capitulate, capitulation
  
  cease to resist an opponent or an unwelcome demand; surrender.
  “the patriots had to capitulate to the enemy forces”

   
• recapitulate:
  
  summarize and state again the main points of.
  “he began to recapitulate his argument with care”
• recapitulation
• captain
• capitalize: take the chance to gain advantage from.
• capitol
• caprice
  
  a sudden and unaccountable change of mood or behavior.
  “the caprices of the electorate”
• decapitate
• precipitate = pre + cipit + ate
  
  cause (an event or situation, typically one that is bad or undesirable) to happen suddenly, unexpectedly, or prematurely.
  “the incident precipitated a political crisis”
• precipitous
  
  dangerously high or steep.
  “the precipitous cliffs of the North Atlantic coast”
• precipitation  1. 沉淀 2. 降水 3. 凝结
• ==
• achieve
• mischievous

crown, 

coronary  thrombosis, cornea, 

carn: meat

carnival, carnal, carnage, reincarnation, charnel, carrion, crone, carnation, incarnadine

kill, execute, slaughter, massacre, assassinate

caval: horse;

cavalry, chivalry, cavalier, cavalcade, cavalrymen

chol: bile, gall

cholera, choler, cholesterol, choleric, melancholy, melancholia

chrom: color

chromatic, monochrome, achromatic, chromsome

cord / card: heart, cordially

• accord, accordance (conformity or agreement),
• concord, concordance,
• discord, discordant, accordingly, accordion, record, cordiality
• cardiogram, cardiovascular, cardioversion, 

corp: corpse

• corpus,
• corporal, corps
• corporeal, corpulent,
• corporate, incorporate

cosm: cosmic

cosmopolitan, cosmography, microcosm, macrocosm, cosmos, cosmonaut, cosmology

chron: time

chronology

clemenc: climate

• clement, inclement
• climax, clime